Houses of Parliament advocacy reception

In 2010 the Design Archives joined the small group of university museums funded by the Higher Education Funding Council. On 4 May, Ivan Lewis MP, the shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, hosted a University Museum Group (UMG)-sponsored advocacy reception at the Houses of Parliament, to alert MPs to the importance of university museums, the value of the collections they hold and the services they provide.

In his opening remarks Ivan Lewis emphasized that university museums have a key role in widening participation and as centres of research excellence. He pointed out that HEFCE funding is critical because through it they gain leverage and support to develop world-class research activity. Significantly, university museums have particular importance in times when concern about the cost of everything seems to outweigh appreciation of long-term value. David Sweeney, Director of Research at HEFCE, said that the 31 HEFCE-funded university museums (from a total of 400 museums in the sector) are identified as centres of excellence. ‘HEFCE’ he said, ‘is privileged to fund you.’ Moreover, university museums hold ‘stunning stuff’, they need to find new ways to explain what they do and ‘trumpet their successes’.

Read the original news feature announcing the Design Archives HEFCE award. 

Image: Decorations on the Houses of Parliament to mark the Coronation of Elizabeth II in London in 1953, from the Design Council Archive, University of Brighton Design Archives. Catalogue number: GB-1837-DES-DCA-30-2-1441.